Student Oral Presentation Session 1INTRODUCTION: Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major cause of back pain that can also lead to sciatica, affecting the quality of life. Current treatments are limited to salvage surgical operations. Biological treatments to relieve symptoms or to restore disc are not available as we know little about the biology of IVD degeneration and its potential to regeneration. While most people will develop disc degeneration with aging, there are individuals who are protected even at the age (older than 50 years) when over 90% of the population would succumb to the problem, suggesting the presence of protective genes. Furthermore, maintenance of progenitor cells within the nucleus pulposus (NP) is thought …postprin
